2 Michigan Men Accused Of Trafficking Metro Detroit Woman

MICHIGAN — Michigan State Police say a woman escaped after being kidnapped from Ypsilanti and taken to Northern Michigan to perform acts of prostitution and to do forced labor like cleaning.

Troopers in Houghton Lake were called around 3 a.m. Friday in connection with a human trafficking investigation, WDIV reported, saying the woman had been taken into custody for stealing a vehicle to escape the two men.

The men, James Manford Jarrell and Jeffrey Allen Kobel, both 50-year-old Roscommon residents, were taken into custody. The report said the two are also accused of dealing drugs.

Jarrell is charged with two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, one count of unlawful imprisonment and habitual offender — fourth offense. The criminal sexual conduct charges carry maximum penalties of life in prison, and the unlawful imprisonment charge carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.

Kobel is charged with one count of unlawful imprisonment and one count of habitual offender — third offense.

Both men are being held in the Crawford County Jail, according to the report: Jarrell is being held in lieu of $100,00 bail; Kobel is being held in lieu of $25,000 bail.